Gregorio Nuñez Coronel
Encyclopedia
Gregorio Nuñez Coronel was a Portuguese Augustinian theologian, writer, and preacher.
When his fame was at its zenith, he left Portugal and was appointed by the Duke of Savoy as chaplain and preacher to his court. He came to Rome by order of his superiors, and there took the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Coronel taught theology for many years in Rome.
At this time the controversy, about the efficacy of divine grace
and free will
, between the Jesuits and Dominicans, was at its height. Pope Clement VIII
established the Congregatio de Auxiliis
to decide the points at issue, and Coronel was appointed by the pope to the position of secretary. He was continued in this office by Pope Clement's successor, Pope Paul V
. As a reward for his services to the congregation, he was offered a bishopric, but he declined. He attended the general chapter of his order, held at Rome in 1620, as definitor of the Sardinian province.
A history of the Congregatio de Auxiliis, in manuscript, is preserved in the Angelica Library in Rome.
Life
At an early age he entered the Order of St. Augustine. Soon after his ordination to the priesthood he became famous as a theologian and master of sacred eloquence.When his fame was at its zenith, he left Portugal and was appointed by the Duke of Savoy as chaplain and preacher to his court. He came to Rome by order of his superiors, and there took the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Coronel taught theology for many years in Rome.
At this time the controversy, about the efficacy of divine grace
Divine grace
In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
and free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
, between the Jesuits and Dominicans, was at its height. Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII , born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.-Cardinal:...
established the Congregatio de Auxiliis
Congregatio de Auxiliis
The Congregatio de Auxiliis was a commission established by Pope Clement VIII to settle a theological controversy regarding divine grace that arose between the Dominicans and the Jesuits towards the close of the sixteenth century...
to decide the points at issue, and Coronel was appointed by the pope to the position of secretary. He was continued in this office by Pope Clement's successor, Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V
-Theology:Paul met with Galileo Galilei in 1616 after Cardinal Bellarmine had, on his orders, warned Galileo not to hold or defend the heliocentric ideas of Copernicus. Whether there was also an order not to teach those ideas in any way has been a matter for controversy...
. As a reward for his services to the congregation, he was offered a bishopric, but he declined. He attended the general chapter of his order, held at Rome in 1620, as definitor of the Sardinian province.
Works
Coronel's principal works are:- "Libri decem de verâ Christi Ecclesiâ" (Rome, 1594);
- "Libri sex de optimo reipublicæ statu" (Rome, 1597);
- "De traditionibus apostolicis" (Rome, 1597).
A history of the Congregatio de Auxiliis, in manuscript, is preserved in the Angelica Library in Rome.